Having been overseas for a year, Kinane is eager to get back into performing. Her passion for performance developed at seven years old while performing Joan of Arc. Kinane loved pretending to die in the flames and she says, “that’s what started it for me.” Throughout school she was the kid who put plays on at lunch time for people to see and seized every acting opportunity she could.

“We used to devise comedy all the time but didn’t know that that’s what we were doing.”

Originally from the UK, Kinane moved to New Zealand when she was 10-years-old. She went back to England at 17, so that she could go to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts). But because she hadn’t finished school in the UK, Kinane couldn’t receive any grants. After spending a few years being a “teenager in London,” Kinane decided to check out New Zealand’s drama school, and graduated Toi in 1988.

Kinane homeschooled her children for four years and decided that she wanted to do something for herself.  After taking a few creative writing courses at Massey University, Kinane says “I absolutely love this, more than anything else that I’m doing.”

Then, Kinane became part of Tim Spite’s Seed Collective; where they would devise works for four weeks, write a script from that and then rehearse for four weeks. She went on to write three plays with Seed. “I absolutely found my feet. Thanks to Tim Spite. My writing feet.”

In 2013, Kinane graduated from the IIML, completing a masters degree in scriptwriting with Ken Duncan. According to Kinane it was, “intense, but it’s brilliant.”

“I love writing about big ideas – big thoughts and when two opposing ideologies bash into each other. That and the fallout from that and how individual people deal with a big idea that needs to be talked through.

Kinane is interested in not resolving things in the plays that she writes. “I want people to come out and have an intense conversation in the bar. I want it to start a conversation” she says.

Currently, rehearsing in Durang’s script, she says the rehearsal period for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, has been lovely. “I find when you’re rehearsing a drama sometimes there’s a lot of laughter in the rehearsal room because you’re working so hard and you need the release. And sometimes when you’re rehearsing a comedy it gets very serious. But this one we are having a lovely time.”

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is about three siblings, Vanya, Sonya and Masha. With Chekhovian themes of ‘I don’t know what to do with my life,’ ‘my life is over,’ and ‘I’m in mourning for my life,’ all that sort of stuff. So these characters are kind of stuck in these lives.

“It’s fun because the characters are a classic family. So there’s lots of sniping at each other but it’s hilarious. It’s one of those character comedies where the comedy comes from characters bashing into each other with their different wants and needs and expectations not being met, rather than gags. The audience will recognise people and the other really nice thing about them is that nobody is good and nobody is bad. They’re not stereotypes.”

“There are layers to the comedy, so if people are familiar with Chekov, they will see things that other people don’t but there’s plenty of other stuff in there.”

“I think audiences at the moment really want humour” Kinane says and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, delivers that.

The transformation of Circa One into a ‘lovely’ farmhouse with an intimation of surrounding grounds is effective. The breakfast room recreated on stage is both elegant and banal, an appropriate environment for its main inhabitants, Sonia (Rachel Henry) and Vanya (Gavin Rutherford). From their first moment onstage these two create a compelling portrayal of middle-aged siblings trapped together as they grow old. Their frustration and affection are both clear, and it’s a pleasure to watch. Their repartee is highly enjoyable, and most effective at its lightest.

In a very Chekhovian turn of events, their day is interrupted by unexpected guests. Masha (Emma Kinane) arrives, both the sister of Vanya and Sonia and a famous actor. With her comes her boy toy, Spike (Simon Leary). Masha immediately takes over the house, demanding to be at the centre of everything. Kinane plays a flamboyant and flippant Masha, an effective and clear contrast to her reserved, homely siblings. Leary plays Spike as the very epitome of a self-centred, vain actor, never missing an opportunity to show off his body or accept a compliment. Luckily, Leary manages to be charming while self-indulgent, with a genuine lack of self-awareness.

Rounding out the cast are Erina Daniels as cleaning lady/soothsayer Cassandra and Harriet Prebble as Nina, a young would-be actor. Cassandra appears irregularly, a Durang addition straight from Greek tragedy rather than Chekhov. It’s a bizarre combination, and while Daniels attacks the role with energy and commitment I felt jarred by her appearance in the play. This might be intentional, since like the Greek Cassandra she disrupts the characters with her prophecies, but I often found it distracting. In particular, the choice to give Cassandra a Caribbean accent feels incongruous and unnecessary.

On the opposite end of the Chekhov spectrum is Nina, the character most similar to her namesake from The Seagull. Nina, innocent in dress and deportment, brings earnestness and naivete to the play. Prebble does well to keep her presence a pleasure rather than an annoyance.

The cast work well as an ensemble, balancing the tensions between their characters with aplomb. In general, they do well to keep the play from become too melodramatic or self-aware, although there are moments where the play teeters over the edge. Durang’s dialogue is rich, and when given too much emotion it  becomes muddied and unclear. However, I imagine that this problem will dissipate as the actors find their stride with the rhythm of the play over its run.

The design team of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike have also done very good work. Sheila Horton has made excellent costuming choices, perfectly dressing the characters to match their personalities. In fact, Sonia and Vanya also seem to match their house, a touch that I found particularly compelling. John Hodgkin’s set, as previously noted, creates a perfect farmhouse environment in which to place the characters. Lisa Maule’s lighting design effectively helps create this mundane farmhouse world. Maule elegantly intimates space outside of the house with blue lighting representing both the sky and the much talked about pond in the distance. These surrealist touches – and lighting to heighten moments of Cassandra’s ‘prophecies’ – serve the production well. Oliver Devlin has done an excellent job designing the sound for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. His soundscape is naturalistic and nuanced, creating a subtle yet highly descriptive aural setting for the play.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a satirical and clever take on Chekhov transplanted to Pennsylvania. Before attending, it might be worth reading up on Chekhov – or reading Chekhov – to get the most out of the experience. It runs until the 3rd of September. For more information or to book go to www.circa.co.nz